Bakersfield City Votes To Seek Council for Possible Lawsuit Against High Speed Rail

BAKERSFIELD -
The Bakersfield City Council voted 7-0 Wednesday to hire an outside attorney to pursue a possible lawsuit against the High Speed Rail Authority.

City officials say the Environmental Impact report on the project is vague and the agency wasn't clear about how much the project would effect local citizens.

According to city officials, the report doesn't include an exact route and doesn't even get into how the project plans to move city property located in the project's path. Some of those properties include Bakersfield High School, Mercy Hospital, and even a section of the Rabobank Arena.

The High Speed Rail Authority had promised to be more clear on their plans and work hand-in-hand with the city on these issues

The project is expected to cost $68 billion dollars. Back in July, the state Legislature voted to release $2.6 billion for the first leg of the project to begin.

If built, the project would transport passengers from Anaheim to San Francisco at speeds of up to 220 mph by the year 2035.

There are also plans to eventually expand the project to connect San Diego to Sacramento.

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